“To Eat a Lot is Not Bad – But to Waste the Food is Not Good”
You’ll see a placard with this slogan written on it when you enter NYPD – short for New York Pizza Depot – located at APM Centrale, A. Soriano Ave., Mabolo in Cebu City directly across the street from SM City Cebu.
This Pizza and Pasta Buffet is nothing pretentious. You don’t go there for the fancy Italian décor. There are no candles on the tables or singing Italian waiters.
You also immediately recognize that you are not in a cowboy bar as there is no sawdust on the floor either.
What you will find are friendly local Cebuano staff assisting patrons to an empty table.
If there is one.
When this writer and his beautiful blushing bride, Cris Evert, went to NYPD on a recent Saturday night, it was under no amount of duress. I would have been perfectly happy with any of the international pizza parlors located within SM City Mall to pluck myself down and partake of a pre-set, fabricated pizza.
With extra cheese if you please.
But my better half insisted that we trek across the street from the mall to NYPD and boy I am so glad I did.
Patrons are required to pay the set price of 199 pesos – you heard that right – only 199 pesos and you can eat all you want.
Even when you bring a family of six to NYPD, each person will be charged 199 pesos each.
More than six different pizzas are spread before you on a large table display with fried chicken, three different pastas and sauces available with UNLIMITED rice.
Everything is unlimited … but with a catch.
You might want to read that slogan at the top of this article again as anyone who fills their plate and then decides to walk away, will be asked by management to kindly remit an additional 100 pesos.
Good food should not go to waste.
New York Pizza Depot is what it is.
Hand rolled pizza crust is thrown into the air by owner/manager Alex Kassem who presses the dough down into a very thin crust and then tops it with authentic ingredients.
Everything at NYPD is made fresh.
You won’t find pizza sauce coming out of a can as the Italian ingredients are cooked, cut, sliced and diced long before the restaurant opens each morning at 11 a.m.
There are no ingredient fact sheets telling staff exactly how many pieces of pepperoni to place or measuring the amount of Italian sausage to use.
Frozen chicken?
Perish the thought!
Owner Kassem has all their chicken purchased locally and then cut up, breaded with NYPD’s own “herbs and spices” and served piping hot.
On any given Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening, NYPD will produce upwards of 120 kilos, yes KILOS of fried chicken and near numberless Hawaiian, Spicy, Cheese, Pepperoni, Meat Combo, Hot Dog and Mushroom or Supreme pizzas.
“We pride ourselves on good food, a clean place and good service”, says Kassem. Besides sourcing his ingredients locally, Kassem said he imports all his cheese directly from Italy.
There is no smoking allowed and no liquor served at NYPD but … I did mention NYPD offers UNLIMITED rice?
The emphasis is on All You Can Eat and brother, you best come to this restaurant with an empty stomach.
Kassem, who also runs a NYPD restaurant in Long Island, NY, doesn’t believe in couponing, discounts, group rates or home delivery which adds nothing to his business and in his words “complicates” the simplicity of his restaurant.
“Good food advertises itself”, says Kassem, who added that “Facebook and social media have really helped our business take off. People are talking about NYPD and the word of mouth is amazing”.
Clearly he has found a niche and if patrons are looking for a seat on a Friday night, its best to come very early.
In the 10 months since opening, Kassem says his business is doing well and is considering opening a second location within Cebu City.
Well, he should know, working 10 hours a day, every day.
I did mention that NYPD offers UNLIMITED rice?
If you are looking for great Italian food, terrific fried chicken and UNLIMITED rice, its best that you too discover NYPD here in Cebu.
Good luck finding an open table!
